Piemonte Wines with Futronic, BAWE and Vinocellar

A group of wine lovers got together to drink wines from Piemonte with Jay (aka futronic), who was visiting from Toronto. In attendance were members of VinoCellar, BAWE (Bay Area Wine Enthusiasts), winemaker Dave Corey, and a few oddballs such as myself. Rather than flights, the wines were passed around all night, very roughly in order of vintage, with Barbareschi first and then Baroli. Additional (non-Piemonte) bottles appeared now and then as well. The food -- a prix fixe with several choices of starters, entrees, and dessert -- was very good. I went with the Caesar salad with garlic croutons and shaved parmigiano reggiano; Rustichella bucatini with chanterelles, salsify, green chard, cinderella pumpkin creme and Winchester aged gouda; and chocolate decadence.

• NV Fontanafredda Blanc de Blancs

  Italy, Piedmont, Piemonte DOC

  I think Jay said this was chardonnay, but the Fontanafredda website just says "a blend of white grapes." Sweet, ripe stone fruits, fine bubbles, good cut. Didn't get any yeast or toast flavors, but tasty sweet fruit and a nice palate cleanser. Reminiscent of, and probably better than, a good slightly off-dry Prosecco.

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• 2004 Ferrando Erbaluce di Caluso

  Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Erbaluce di Caluso

  A friend took a punt on this due to it being a Neal Rosenthal import, and I went in for a bottle as well. Golden yellow in color. Initially this was a dead ringer for a stony, dry Loire chenin -- great minerality, ripe golden fruits, honeyed finish. With time in the glass an unusual mouthfeel and spicy, bitter almond note appeared. Very interesting and complex wine. Excellent, and a QPR find at $14.

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• 1992 Cambria Chardonnay Reserve Flawed

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  Oxidized flavors of caramel, nuts, cloying golden fruits, vanilla. This gets a yuck from me.

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• 1995 Oakford Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Candied nose, maybe some VA. Sweet cassis, overly candied black fruits, some oak. Not into this.

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• 1964 Gaja Barbaresco

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Oddly dark in color for a 42 year-old wine -- which has me wondering what is in here besides nebbiolo. Somewhat closed nose of red and black fruit liquor, kirsch. Big fruits on the palate, kirsh, plums, leather, moderate concentration with a very sweet palate impression. Wonderful acidity, great balance, a bit of structure left. Very good++

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• 1988 Marcarini Langhe Nebbiolo Lasarin

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

  Nice sweet-tart red fruits. Cranberry, pomegranate, finishes sweet but short. Not a lot of complexity, but drinking well. Good.

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• 1990 Prunotto Barbaresco Montestefano

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Darkest nebbiolo so far seen at this tasting. Huge, ripe nose with candied black fruits and plums. Sweet black fruits, dred roses on palate, surprisingly young. Big tongue-numbing tannins clamp down on the finish. Needs lots of time. Good+?

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• 1993 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Gallina di Neive

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Translucent cherry color. Young nose of sharp red fruits, dried flowers. On the palate, sweet, fresh red berries with an almost chalky tart sensation that is nonetheless pleasing. Wonderful, crystalline purity of fruit that is only marred by a slightly awkward note (heat?) on the finish. My feeling is this would have resolved with more air. Clearly a very young wine, this is nonetheless excellent now and should be even better with time.

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• 1997 Azienda Bricco Asili (Ceretto) Barbaresco Bricco Asili

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Red fruits, violets, kirsch. According to Jay this sees 100% (or thereabouts...) new oak barrique. If so then to my palate it has integrated well, as only the super-silky palate impression and mouthfeel gives this away. Overall the profile feels a bit compressed still, but the tannins are surprisingly melted away. Well, either that or the ten wines tasted previous to this have killed my palate. Very good+

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• 1958 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  A ghostly, translucent ruby-pink color. Soaring aromatics of strawberry, dried flowers, and some funk. Wonderful dried strawberry, brown butter, balsamic flavors on the palate. Completely resolved tannins. Amazing intensity and flavor for a nearly 50 year-old bottle of wine. Turns slightly tart, cranberry on the nice, if somewhat brief finish. Would loved to have spent all evening with this. Outstanding, and my wine of the night.

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• 1964 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Delicate nose of tart red berries, with a slightly medicinal note intruding. On the palate sweet strawberry, raspberry and cherry with hints of roses and some funk. Finishing again slightly medicinal. If this bottle is representative, I'd recommend drinking relatively quickly after opening as it became a bit spicy and strange as it sat in the glass. Heavy sediment in the bottle. Very good.

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• 1997 Andrea Oberto Barolo Vigneto Rocche

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Nose is a bit grapey, but with very nice floral notes. A bit primary at this point, though drinking nicely otherwise. With time in the glass this became more tannic. Needs time. Good+ (for now)

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• 2001 Damilano Barolo

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Closed nose. Nice sweet red fruits with floral notes and good supportive acid on the palate. Finishes a bit short, probably due to tannins. Needs time. Very good (for now).

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• 2001 Elio Grasso Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Surprisingly dark in color. Highly aromatic nose just jumps out of the glass with estery and somewhat overripe aromas of kirsch, dark fruits, hint of raisins. Big on the palate with more sweet kirsch, raw meat, dried flowers, lots of extract. Again the fruit seems a touch overripe, but ample structure and balancing acidity keep it from becoming jammy. Not a trace of heat. Overall this feels "big" for a Barolo, and the fruit is lacking some freshness. But if you can overlook this, it's still a fantastic, complex young wine that is drinking very well at the moment. Excellent.

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• 1970 Château Climens

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

  Burnt orange, dried apricot, oxidized flavors of nuts and caramel. This seemed a bit corky to me, but no one else seemed to think so. Good.

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• 2001 Feudi di San Gregorio Pàtrimo Campania IGT

  Italy, Campania, Campania IGT

  Very dark, nearly black in the glass. A young, tannic monster, but there's clearly a lot packed in here. Coffee, spices, and god knows what else surround a dense core of sweet red fruits, but everything is completely shrouded in tannin. Pie spice on the finish. Apparently this is Merlot....who knew? Potentially excellent, but needs many years.

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Several of Dave Corey's wines also made the rounds, but somehow only the Elevation Sensation seemed to park in front of me for long enough to get a taste. This was more structured and interesting than the '04 Core 163 I tried recently, which was delicious but perhaps over the top. Also an '05 Haag caught my eye but was empty by the time I tracked it down.

Overall this was really a fantastic evening with lots of outstanding wines. Many of these are wines I'd have loved to spend the entire evening with. My WOTN was the '58 Marchesi di Barolo, followed by the '93 Giacosa and the '01 Elio Grasso. Big thanks to R8der and Eric for organizing, and to Jay (futronic) for giving us a reason to get together. Bravo!